With five minutes left on the clock, Gooners thought they would suffer another miserable defeat. However, Kieran Gibbs’ leveller in the 89th minute put Arsenal back into the game before Podolski sealed the win a couple of minutes later.
The German forward correctly positioned himself in the penalty box to receive a good ball from the laborious Alexis Sanchez. Commenting on the match winner, Arsene Wenger told the press:
“The players who came on made the difference with their experience. I know in the final five minutes of the Champions League that nerves play a part.
“We had to get there without conceding a second. You always want Podolski to have the ball in the box. He had a great shot.”
This is Podolski!
Lukas Podolski's game by numbers: 100% pass accuracy 1 shot 1 goal 3 points pic.twitter.com/nD7tRqU4pA
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 22, 2014
75 games and 30 goals for Lukas Podolski. That's actually quite an impressive record.
— Met - #COYG (@AFCMet) October 22, 2014
@ChampionsLeague The Podolski goal for sure, absolute insanity!
— Alex Robertson (@PartyPalAl) October 22, 2014
Wenger will enjoy his cake tonight.
— Nathan Quao (@nathanquao2211) October 22, 2014
With this vital victory in Belgium, the Gunners now possess six points – five above Anderlecht and Galatasaray who both lost on the night. Arsenal’s next match in the UEFA Champions League is against Group D leaders Borussia Dortmund. After losing 2-0 at the Signal Iduna Park on Matchday 1, Arsene Wenger and his men will be looking to settle scores against the German team at the Emirates Stadium.
